National Trends in Alcohol Use, Metabolic Syndrome, and Liver Disease From 1999 to 2018
Authors: Brian P. Lee, Jennifer L. Dodge, Wendy J. Mack, Adam M. Leventhal, Norah A. Terrault
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2023)

Letters9 May 2023National Trends in Alcohol Use, Metabolic Syndrome, and Liver Disease From 1999 to 2018Brian P. Lee, MD, MAS, Jennifer L. Dodge, MPH, Wendy J. Mack, PhD, Adam M. Leventhal, PhD, Norah A. Terrault, MD, MPHBrian P. Lee, MD, MASDivision of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, and Institute for Addiction Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, Jennifer L. Dodge, MPHDivision of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases and Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, Wendy J. Mack, PhDDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, Adam M. Leventhal, PhDInstitute for Addiction Science, University of Southern California, and Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, Norah A. Terrault, MD, MPHDivision of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, and Institute for Addiction Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CaliforniaAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M23-0518 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Mortality from alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) surged from 2009 to 2018 for unclear reasons and despite stable or declining prevalence of alcohol use (1, 2).Objective: To examine whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) could be an important contributor.Methods and Findings: We used NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), a continuous cross-sectional survey, to produce weighted study samples that were representative of the noninstitutionalized U.S. population aged 20 years or older without viral hepatitis between 1999 and 2018. Heavy alcohol use was defined as average alcohol use in the past 12 months higher than 28 g/d for women or ...References1. Tapper EB, Parikh ND. Mortality due to cirrhosis and liver cancer in the United States, 1999-2016: observational study. BMJ. 2018;362:k2817. [PMID: 30021785] doi:10.1136/bmj.k2817 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Alcohol use disorder. In: Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results From the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. 2020. Accessed at www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt29393/2019NSDUHFFRPDFWHTML/2019NSDUHFFR090120.htm#sud1 on 2 February 2023. Google Scholar3. Wong T, Dang K, Ladhani S, et al. Prevalence of alcoholic fatty liver disease among adults in the United States, 2001-2016. JAMA. 2019;321:1723-1725. [PMID: 31063562] doi:10.1001/jama.2019.2276 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Unalp-Arida A, Ruhl CE. Liver fibrosis scores predict liver disease mortality in the United States population. Hepatology. 2017;66:84-95. [PMID: 28195363] doi:10.1002/hep.29113 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Younossi Z, Henry L. Contribution of alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease to the burden of liver-related morbidity and mortality. Gastroenterology. 2016;150:1778-1785. [PMID: 26980624] doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2016.03.005 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Brian P. Lee, MD, MAS; Jennifer L. Dodge, MPH; Wendy J. Mack, PhD; Adam M. Leventhal, PhD; Norah A. Terrault, MD, MPHAffiliations: Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, and Institute for Addiction Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CaliforniaDivision of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases and Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CaliforniaDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CaliforniaInstitute for Addiction Science, University of Southern California, and Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CaliforniaGrant Support: By grant K23AA029752 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Dr. Lee).Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M23-0518.Reproducible Research Statement: Study protocol: Available from Dr. Lee (e-mail, brian.lee@med.usc.edu). Statistical code and data set: Not available.Corresponding Author: Brian P. Lee, MD, MAS, 2250 Alcazar Street, Room 135G, Los Angeles, CA 90089; e-mail, brian.lee@med.usc.edu.This article was published at Annals.org on 9 May 2023. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics June 2023Volume 176, Issue 6 Page: 879-882 Keywords Alcoholism Liver diseases Metabolic syndrome ePublished: 9 May 2023 Issue Published: June 2023 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2023 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...